5 Mysterious Cases of Bodies That Never Decomposed
As we know, when we die, our bodies begin to decay. However, for a few bodies, that doesn't seem to be the case. Here are 5 we know of thatÂ
Saint Catherine Laboure claimed to have been visited many times in her life by the Virgin Mary, and Catherine apparently even placed her hands on Mary's lap as she spoke to her in a church. Catherine died in 1876 and received funeral rites.Â
In 1993, when the church was in the process of canonizing her, her body was exhumed, as is the process. Her body at that point remained perfectly preserved. Her body is now on display in Paris.
Xin Zhui was alive during the Han dynasty, and was the wife of a Chinese nobleman. At that time, she lived a life of extreme luxury, and was morbidly obese. In 163 BCE, this caught up to her and she died of a heart attack. When she was unearthed in 1971, her skin was still soft, and her joints could still move.
Itigilov was a Buddhist lama in Russia in the early 1900s. When he was still alive, he asked his fellow lamas to begin the funeral procedures and he began to meditate. While meditating in the lotus position, he died. He asked that after his death, his body be exhumed after several years. In 2002, his body was exhumed and it is still well preserved.
Zita was, as many saints are, a very kind person, and when she was alive, a religious cult formed around her. She died in 1272, and 300 years later, her body was exhumed and it was found preserved. She has since been on display and mummified in the Basilica of San Frediano in Lucca, Italy.
Nearly 500 years ago, this 15-year-old Incan girl was killed as part of a religious sacrifice near present-day Argentina. Due to cold conditions and dry air, she was preserved well until the body was found in 1999.Â